Conveyer installation



.lvlg' 15, 1933- c. s. JENNINGS Er Al. 1,922,699

CONVEYER IN S TALLATI ON Filed March 23, 1929 A? a I A?! i l Patented Aug. 15, 1933 UNITED STATES Y conversa INSTALLATION Chester S. Jennings and Lavont C. Allen, Syracuse, N. Y., assigncrs te The Lamson Company, Syracuse, N. Y., a Corporation of Massachusetts Application March 23, 1929. Serial No. 349,358

s claims. (c1. 19g-203) This invention relates to an improvement in conveyer apparatus and particularly to means for receiving carriers, containers or articles from a main conveyer and for delivering them onto idler rolls or other suitable supporting means constituting a work station. In many conveyer installations, it is usual to provide a main conveyer, for example of the belt type, upon which containers or articles are carried and distributed to numerous auxiliary conveyers and/or work stations beside the main conveyer. Such stations, for example, may comprisea series of freely rotatable rolls for supporting the articles or carriers, so that after the same have undergone the appropriate operation, the workman may readily despatch the article, as for example, by delivering it to another or the same conveyer. Ordinarily, deflectors comprising pivotally supported arms may be arranged selectively to swing across the path of articles carried by the main conveyer and to divert the same to the various auxiliary conveyers or work stations. The present invention provides a short auxiliary conveyer section which assists in removing the article from the main conveyer,-imparts a definite speed to the article (which may be equal to or greater or less than the speed of themain conveyer) and which delivers the article, properly oriented, and at a predetermined velocity,.into the work station. It is thus made certain that the article will arriveat the proper point within reach of the operator without stopping prematurely or overshooting its proper destination and will come to rest correctly oriented for ready despatch from the station, as for example, by delivery to a secondary conveyer.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, such means may preferably comprise a short auxiliary conveyer belt which has frictional engagement with the diverted articles so as to impart its own velocity of movement to the saine and which straightens the article around so that it will enter the station properly oriented. Preferably the auxiliary' conveyer belt is driven through suitable mechanismfrom the main conveyer so that the auxiliary belt has a positive movement in the direction of movement of the main conveyer and at a predetermined speed. Consequently articles diverted from the main conveyer to one of the auxiliary conveyer belts acquire a definite velocity and pass from the auxiliary conveyer to theY idler rolls which comprise the work station at such a predetermined speed that the natural frictional resistance to rotation of these rolls is suflicient to insure the stopping of such articles at a predetermined point within reach of the operator.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a top elevational view of a portion of a main conveyer, a deflector associated therewith, and an auxiliary conveyer and idler rolls comprising a work station,a part of the main conveyer belt being broken away for clarity of illustration;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of a portion of the main and auxiliary conveyer mechanism shown in Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the accompanying drawing which illustrates one concrete exemplication ci our invention, it may be seen that the main conveyer belt 1 has its upper run moving in the direction of the large arrow, thus serving as a conveyer to carry boxes or articles to any one of a plurality of work stations situated beside the main conveyer. At these stations suitable operations may be performed upon the conveyed articles, or articles to be treated may be removed from carrier boxes being conveyed by the system. In order to divert the boxes or articles from the main conveyer, a deflector 2 is arranged adjoining each of the auxiliary conveyers and work stations. Such'a deflector 2 may be operated in any desired manner, for example being controlled by suitable tabs which are operable in response to the selective positioning of pins upon the carrier boxes after the general manner and mode described in the copending application of J. T. Cowley and L. C. Allen, Serial No. 259,236, filed March 5, 1928, or ii desired the deflectors 2 may be hand operated, or any suitable means may be provided for diverting the articles to the work station. Each deflector 2, for example as shown, may comprise a curved arm having one end pivctally supported at one side of the conveyer as designated by numeral 4 and having its opposite end overhanging the same and provided with an anti-friction roller 3. in operative position as shown in Fig. l, for example, it is adapted to engage a box l,or article upon the main conveyer and divert the same to the auxiliary conveyer 5, the latter comprising a short belt section moving in the same direction as the main conveyer and at a predetermined speed. As here shown a plurality of independently freely rotatable rolls '7 are aligned with the belt section 5 and are adapted to receive the articles which pass therefrom. Preferably, antifriction supporting rolls R are interposed between conveyer belts 1 and.

Fig. 2 illustrates the preferred arrangement of riving means for an auxiliary belt 5. Each end of this belt is mounted upon rolls 9 which may be provided with conventional belt tightening means designated by numerals 10. Intermediate the length of the lower run of the belt is an idler roll 11 which is supported upon the side bars 12 `which also support the axles of the rolls 9 and rolls '7. It is evident that the lower run of the belt '7 passes over the idler 1l so that the belt When such a deflector is is more positively wrapped about a considerable peripheral portion of rolls 9.

One of the latter is driven by suitable driving mechanism 100 receiving power from anyv suitable source but which preferably is operatively connected to the lower run l5 of the main conveyer belt l. For this purpose suitable depending brackets 2Q are secured to the longitudinal frame elements 21 of the main conveyor, these depending brackets supporting a driving roll 22 which preferably has a width of the same order as that of the belt l. A sprocket 23, 3, preferably is fixed to the axis oi roller 22, being disposed between the main and auxiliary conveyors and engaging a drive chain 24 that in turn is Wrapped about a sprocket 25 keyed to the axle of one of. the-rolls 9 that support auxiliary belt 7. As here shown by Way of example, sprocket 23 has a smaller diameter than roll 22 While sprocket 25 has an even smaller diameter so that the adjoining roll 9 is driven at a lower surface speed than the roll 22. However, sprockets 23 and 25 be of any necessary relative diameterto insure the desired speed of the auxiliary belt '7.

En order to insure irm frictional engagement of the lower run of the belt with the drive roll 22. We provide an adjustably mounted idler roll that engages the low-er portion l5 of the belt l so that the latter has an engagement with a greater segmental portion of roller 22. Idler roll 30 may conveniently be mounted on suitable blocks 32, the ends of which ar corrugated to engage the corrugated legs of brackets 34 which are secured to the side members 2l of the main conveyor frame. Suitable fastening elements 35 pass through slots in the legs 32 of the brackets and are adapted adiustably to clamp bearing locks 32 in position; thus the tension of the main conveyor belt may be varied. A second idler 22u similar to roll 22 may engage the upper face of l the roll It run of the main conveyor belt l lowerrun of the belt at the other side of auxiliary conveyor belt 5, and may be given the proper velocity by engagement with this power driven belt 5 they pass to such a'station. This belt is adapted to have a positive frictional engagement with theV diverted articles or carriers and to pass thc .saine to theidler rolls '7 at a donite speed, so as to insure the stopping of the articles or carriers at the operator-s station. This auxiliary beltalso straight-ens out articles partly turned by the'action of the deiiector 2, soY

that they enter the station properly oriented for dispatch from the station when the operation is completed.V

While in many cases, as here shown, the velocity of the main conveyor belt is greater than that of the auxiliary belt so that the latter acts kas' a decelerator orsnubber, this is not always is evident that articles carried by the upper may be divertedA to a work station by a deflect-or 2, assisted by the the Work sta-f.

tion so that they will come to rest at the desired point.

We claim:

l. Apparatus of the class described comprising a mainv conveyor belt, an auxiliary conveyor belt beside a run of the main belt, means for doecting articles from main belt to the auxiliary belt, a series of article supporting rolls aligned with the auxiliary belt', a roller engaging a portion of the main beltremote from that portion thereof adjoining the auxiliary belt, and a drive element operatively driven by the roller, said last-named element eing operatively connected to the auxiliary belt to drive the latter at a predetermined speed.

2. Apparatus of the class described comprising a main conveyor belt, an auxiliary conveyor belt beside one run oi the main belt, means for derlecting articles from the main belt to the auxiliary belt, a series of article supporting rolls aligned with the auxiliary belt, a rolle engaging a run or the main belt other than that which adjoins the auxiliary belt, a drive chain operatively driven by the roller, said chain being operatively connected to the auxiliary belt to drive the latter, and an adjustably mounted idler Vroll engaging the main belt and holding the same viii ry belt from the mainbelt, said means comrollers'inv engagement with each of said l and a driving connection therebetween,

Vidler'rollers engaging each of said belts to cause them'to turn about a circumferential portion ol the nrst-named rollers and means for vadjusting the tension of one of said belts.

5. Apparatus of the class described comprising mein. conveyor belt, an auxiliary conveyor belt beside one run of the main belt, means for deiiecting articles from the main belt to the auxiliary belt, a series of article supporting rolls a s ed with the auxiliary belt, a roller engaging un of the main belt other than that which s the auxiliary belt, and a drive chain opely driven by the roller,l said chain being operatively connected to the auxiliary belt to drive the latter'. f l

6. Apparatus or the class described comprising a main conveyor belt,` a comparatively shortauxiliary conveyorV belt beside one run of the main belt, rolls supporting the ends of said auxiliary belt, Ya series of article supporting rolls aligned uxiliary belt, a roller engaging a run ci thek main belt remote from saidr run which adjoins the auxiliary belt, anda drive element operatively driven 'by the roller, said element being operatively connected to one of the rolls supporting the auxiliarybelt to drive the latter at a speed below that ofthe main belt.

@CHESTER s. JENNINGS.

LAvoNT C. ALLEN. 

